Something weird happened to me earlier

[Ohnowhatno]

I was out walking my dog earlier today. All of a sudden my vision went strange (zooming in and out) and I passed out losing consciousness. I regained consciousness several minutes later on the floor in the mud and had no idea where I was (I was in the woods) and I was confused and felt very sick. I remember shaking before I came around.

my husband found me and took me to hospital. I had bloods taken, head scan, my heart checked and everything was normal. I have now been discharged and feel absolutely fine.

I am female, late 40’s on no medication and no health problems. What on earth happened? Anyone else experienced this?

You couldn't be pregnant could you? Similar happened to me in two of my pregnancies

I had this too. So scary! I temporarily lost my vision in one eye. I was looking at the bright sky at the time. I felt sick and nearly fainted.

Thinking about it now I'd say it was around when I started the menopause which a pp upthread said.

Before anyone says anything, realise pregnancy is unlikely but no idea how 'late' late 40s is to op and have had friends get pregnant at 45 and 47

I've had similar 3 times: twice after getting up after falling down stairs, and once when I suddenly encountered something I was absolutely phobic about.

Each time, I had a similar weird visual thing to you OP, but with me it was like looking through a telescope zooming out - everything went very far away, and the colour faded almost to black and white.

Mine was definitely not menopause related: the first time (after a fall) I was 13 or 14, the second time (after the shock), 18 or 19, and the last time (following another fall) I was in my early 40s.

I've had other faints, all in hot, crowded places, esp clubs, but they felt quite different. I knew that I was likely to faint, and I didn't get the thing where my vision goes.

I had low BP for years, but it's gradually crept up and it's almost normal now, probably due to being old and fat. I have an underactive thyroid, diagnosed in my mid-forties, and Meniere's, diagnosed in my early 50s ( I haven't had an attack of Menieres for years, but still have the tinnitus).

Happened to me once in the middle of the night. Was a sudden change in blood pressure we think. Stood up off the toilet, felt funny, everything faded out to black and I collapsed into the shower. Husband caught me halfway down, although all I remember is feeling weird and then being in the shower cubicle. Hopefully it was just something like that. I've been several years since then with absolutely nothing else.

Can’t believe no one has considered alien abduction yet 😆 jokes. Hope you’re ok and it doesn’t happen again x

Thanks everyone- I’m definitely not pregnant, I’m 48 and my blood pressure is on the low side. (Although not dangerously low but maybe it dipped too low at that particular moment?). Hospital also gave me some weird drinks and mentioned electrolytes so possibly I was lacking in something. It was all so bizarre though, nothing like this has ever happened to me! I’m never ill and never even fainted!

Poor DH was bricking it, I was hysterical when I came round and phoned him, I thought I had been abducted and dumped in the woods or something!

Are your periods heavy ? I’m thinking anaemia.

Was the dog okay?

The exact same thing happened to my dad in the woods-he had taken 2 ibuprofen earlier but didn't realise they were my mums double strength prescribed ones

have you had any immunisations lately?

Something similar happened to me when I had a bad reaction to a tetanus shot. Had you taken any sort of medication prior to this?

Interesting thread!
I had a random but severe fainting incident at home- fell over ( woke up on floor) propped myself up against sofa but passed out 3 further times before returning to a groggy but normal state. Everything else completely normal: no new medication, no illness, no other symptoms before the event or after. That was about 6 months ago.

I guess sometimes blood dips and has an extreme dip every so often. It's hard to know what the issue is for certain but in my case, the incident was so isolated, albeit extreme, with no other symptoms so i've just left it and not bothered going to GP.

Have a look into vaso vagal episodes. They can be just like this and often if you've been straining at the toilet or anything puts pressure on that nerve. Hugs OP
I've had it twice and my ds once

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vasovagal-syncope/symptoms-causes/syc-20350527#:~:text=Vasovagal%20syncope%20(vay%2Dzoh%2D,blood%20pressure%20to%20drop%20suddenly.

Totally not a medic here, but don't they tend to recommend drinking stuff with electrolytes as rehydrating measure, for example when you've had diarrhoea? Could you have been dehydrated?

I get that, it starts off with my central vision being out of synch, looking at someone I can’t see their faces.
the zigzag flashing lights zoom in and out at the top of my eye and gradually fully obscures the rest of my vision. It lasts about fifteen minutes.

Can someone explain how that link could be made?
Was it deduction after ruling out everything else, and made in hindsight?
Menopause is when you haven't had a period for 12 months.
I could understand that such episodes coinciding during perimenopause could be attributed to it, but it could also be loads of other things.

It sounds like you fainted. I faint quite often - used to think it was just from not eating enough, but as I've gotten older I realised all the times I've fainted have coincided more with when I haven't slept enough. No idea why this happens, but for me it's always been harmless, just means I need to sleep/eat/drink more.

That's it! Exactly that. Occasionally I feel a bit wobbly for the rest of the day. But I find the sooner I take some ibuprofen, the quicker it's over. It comes on after a combination of stress plus vision problems - so, for example, hectic camera changes on TV. The last one, I was searching through lots of jigsaw pieces all the same colour because DS bought me this fiendish puzzle. Stress, because I didn't really want to do it, plus not being able to distinguish the colours.
Anyway I looked it up online and it said it's harmless/doesn't do any damage. Do you know what triggers yours?